Category: Featured Historic Cocktail at the Fort

Today we celebrate one of the most popular tequila cocktails, the margarita. While the history of the margarita has many differing claims and its official origin is unknown, it is thought that the margarita may have been created in 1938 by Carlos Herrera, a restaurant owner who created the cocktail for a guest who was allergic to most liquors, but not tequila.

The simple drink comes in many different varieties. Whether you’re in the mood for a simple, classic drink … Read the entire post >

Winter has arrived in Colorado and is here to stay for a while. With forecasts below freezing and snow storms in the near future, keep cozy by enjoying some of our favorite warm cocktails.

Trader’s Whiskey

By the time quality whiskey made its way west in the 1860s, the American Indians resisted it and instead preferred the flavor of the liquor they had become accustomed to. When whiskey was brought to be traded at the camps, the chief would sample … Read the entire post >

Sept. 20 is National Rum Punch Day, and we’re celebrating with one of Sam’l Arnold’s favorite drinks, our 1732 Philadelphia Fish House Punch!

Philadelphia Fish House Punch is thought to be one of the oldest punch recipes served in America. Scholars believe the recipe originated in the 1600s, in London, as a farmers’ club punch, and was later served in America at the Fish House Tavern in Schuylkill, Pa.

The Kentucky Derby has a rich history behind it—and our take on the perfect Derby Day cocktail, the Real Georgia Man Mint Julep, does, too!

Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr., grandson of famed frontier explorer William Clark, fell in love with thoroughbred horse racing during a trip to Paris and decided to bring it to his home state of Kentucky. He founded the Louisville Jockey Club in 1872, and built Churchill Downs shortly after. The first Kentucky Derby was held in … Read the entire post >

Christmas in Old Santa Fe is a delightful experience. The cool, crisp winter air is perfumed with smoke from piñon and native cedar fires. On Christmas Eve, many Santa Feans travel south about 40 miles to a wonderful American Indian pueblo called San Felipe for a very special occasion. The little church is lit with oil lamps, and American Indians dance up to the altar in a prayer ceremony, followed by a midnight mass.

As the colder winter months descend upon Colorado, our thoughts here at The Fort naturally gravitate toward filling our belly’s with scrumptious comfort food in front of a roaring fire. This, paired with the anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition, has inspired us to share two iconic recipes from our historic cookbook library, in hopes that you might celebrate the glorious indulgence that is comfort food, as well as the return to the rich traditions of craft fermentation and distillation … Read the entire post >

We serve a lot of ice cream sundaes at The Fort, including one our own Proprietress, Holly Kinney, invented when she was just ten years old. When The Fort first opened, you could purchase a small brick of vanilla ice cream, which we sprinkled generously with a mixture of Nestlé’s hot cocoa mix, sugar and cinnamon. As the ice cream melted, Holly stirred the dry mixture into the creamy liquid to create a sauce. Her parents, and The Fort founders, … Read the entire post >